Ginia



Oct. 23, 1923. 1,471,371

L. H. WHEELER VACUUM FEED DEVICE Filed Sept. 13. 1922 Patented ocfyza, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD H. WHEELER, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, VASSIGNOR' T0 STEWART-WARNER SPEEDOMETER CORPORATION, GINIA..

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIB- VACUUM FEED DEVICE.

Application led September 13, 1922.4 Serial No. 587,908.

terior operation can at all times be observed.

by the driver of the car whose engine it serves, and which shall be of the simplest possible construction in res ect to the means ,for lifting the fuel and de ivering it to the carbureter; It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a diagrammatic view showing an engine equipped with a fuel feeding device embodying this invention.

Fi ure 2 is a top lan view of the vacuum chamtlaer of the fuel) feeding device having its shell partly broken away and shown in transaxial section at the break.

Figure 3 is a section at the line 3-3 on Figure 2.

The structure shown in the drawings comprises the engine, 1, having carbureter, 2, in the usual position, a low level main fuel supply tank, 3, a suction pump, 4, mounted upon the engine and driven thereby by any-suitable connection, indicated by shaft, 4, leading out of the engine base; a suction pipe, 5, leading from the pump, 4, to the suction connection of the vacuum chamber, A, a fue] supply connection, 7, leading from the main supply tank, 3, to the vacuumchamber and a fuel delivery connection, 8, leading from the vacuum chamber to the carburetor.

The vacuum chamber comprisesga transparent body, 9, and metal bottom plate, 11, metal top plate, 12, having a skeleton cylinder extension comprising narrow longitu- Adinal bars, 12, terminating at the lower end in an annulus, 12", which is, exteriorly threaded for receivin screwed onto it the bottom plate, 11, whic for that purpose has a marginal upturned flange, 11. The transparent body, 9, is clamped firmly between the top and bottom plates in the screwing on of the bottom plate to the annulus, 12, suitable packin gaskets, 10, being interposed at both ends o said transparent body. The tolp. plate, 12, has fuel supply inlet at 21, at w uch the pipe, 7, leading from the low tank is cou led. I t has also suction port at 17, at which the suction pipe, 5, is connected.

It has also the atmosphere inlet, 20. A valve 16, controls the suction connection, 17 and a' valve, 19, controls the atmosphere inlet, 20. The valve, 16, is mounted on astem, 13, which extends vertically through the center of the chamber and is guided at its lower end in a fitting, 11, screwed into the outlet orifice, 11", of the bottom plate, 11. The valve, 19, is carried rigidly with the stem, 13, b means of an arm, 18, extending transverse y from said stem, 13, and carryingrigidly the valve, 19, whose stem is attached to said arm, 18. The two valves, 16 and 19, thus move to gether for seating the one when the other is opened. A limit, 26, mountd for slidingon the stem, 13, between a stop, 14, near the lower end and a stop, 15, a short distance below said arm, 18, operates the valves for closing the suction communication and opening the atmosphere communication at a predetermined high level of liquid in the chamber, and reversely operating said valves at a predetermined low level when the float, 26, has receded to the stop, 14. A deflect/or, 22, on the under side of the top plate luider the fuel inlet port, 21, serves to, deflecbl the stream of fluid toward the wall of the chamber preventing it from impinging upon the float and therebydnterferlng with lts normal action. The discharge connection from the vacuum chan ber to thecarbureter is made by means o; a reducer lpipe fitting, 24, screwed onto the exteriory threaded boss, 11, through which the discharge orifice is formed; said reducer fitting being of such length as to afford a valve chamber below the end of the boss in which the check valve, 23, is located, the end of the boss being suitably finished to afford n seat forthe valve which seats7 upwardly' under the influence of the suction in the chamber, and is adapted to be opened by the gravity How of liquid from the chamber upon the interruption of the suction and recurrence of atmosphere pressure in the chamber.

It will be seen that the construction described constitutes a fuel feeding device o erated by suction for liftingr the fuel from thi: low level source and delivering by grav ityl to the earbureter in which there is reV quired only a single chamber constitutingr both vacuum chamber and reservoir. whielt in view of the fact that adequate suction will always be atl'orded hy the positively o rating pump to till the vacuum chamber aliiiost instantly, makes it possible to employ a relatively small vacuum chamber so that the interruption of gravity tlow to the carbureter during the time of filling.Ir the vacuum chamber will be negligible. And the operation of the vacuum chamber being at e" times observable through the transparent body, 9, the driver will hc able to note instantly any cessation of operation whether dueto functional derangement or to exhaustion of supply in the main tank.

I claim:

1. A vacuum fuel feeding device comprising a chamber having.r atmosphere inlet. t'nel supply and delivery connections, and floatronti'olled means' for alternatinglr the domi nanee of atmospherirl pressure and snetion above the liquid in said chamber, the bottom plate of said chamber haiing a central exteriorly threaded boss through which the discharge orifice is formed, a pipe reducer fitting screwed onto said boss constituting a. valve chamber therebelow, the end of the boss being adapted to serve as a valve seat, and an upwardly seating check valve in said chamber, the carbureter supply connecting pipe leading from the lower reduced terminal of said reducer.

2. A vacuum fuel feed device comprising a transparent body with metal top and hou in plates; fuel inlet and outlet eonnections and atmosphere inlet and suction eonneetions be ing made through said metal plates: (loatoperated valves controlling certain of said connections` said controllingr lloat being exteriorly visible through the transparent body, the top and bottom plates being;r connected by a skeleton cylinder formed inr teg'rally with one olL said members and 'adapted for attachment' to the other. the

trate-nr :ent bodyl being;r enepmpassed by said ske! un cylinder and clamped endwise hetween the top and hdttom plates by the joininner ol' said metal members.

il. A taelunn l'uel l'eed device comprisingr a transparent hody with metal top and bottom plates; fuel inlet and outlet cotilleotions and atmosphere inlet and suction conneetions being made through said metal plates; float-operated valves controlling eertain of said connections, said controlling float being eXteIiorly Visible through the transparent body, the top and bottom plates being rigidly connected by a skeleton cylinder consisting of longitudinal hars extending rigidly from one of said plates and terminating in an annulus exteriorly threaded for ser, wed connection with the other plate, the transparent body being clamped endwise hetween the two plates by said screw eonnee tion.

In testimoni' whereof l have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 5th day of September, 1922.

LENARD H. WHEELER. 

